Prescott Poem of 2006

Here is a poem 'bout the Prescott Family
Even included with pictures for you to see.
There's a time or two when it doesn't exactly rhyme
But with much to do 'round here, please forgive me this time.

Tiffany is a true JOY, surrounded by boys.
She spends hours with her brothers rather than with toys.
She's a gymnast and a pianist
And she's mommy's helper....honest.
She has a soft, caring, sensitive heart,
And this year we've seen maturing on her part.
Her desire to know and do what is pleasing to God
Blesses our hearts as parents more than anything could.

Zachary has changed the most this past year.
Finally we can understand his speech and it's clear!
He likes basketball, golf, and creating anything with his hands.
He's adventurous and studious, and a strong "little man"
Working alongside his daddy became a favorite thing to do
Learning diligence and hard work and thoroughness too.
He's learning to read, and add his numbers
And we're always encouraging him to keep loving his younger brothers.



Bryan is a riot, full of life, fun, and talking.
He rarely does anything JUST walking.
He rides his "horsie stick" everywhere outside
Even teaching his younger sidekick how to "ride"
Every day he wonders what we will eat and where we will go
Always excited and usually goes with the flow....
He needs to work on self-control especially with his emotions
But has finally conquered sitting still in church and family devotions. (YAY!)

Chandler is our "Lovies" and never lacks kisses
And he's entered toddler-hood full force creating mommy many messes.
He's not much of a talker, but definitely smart enough to be
So it's hard for us to understand what he wants when he just says "please"
He's become more daddy's boy this year
And loves to play outside, and has hardly any fear.
He attempts to do whatever his brothers do
And is never found without his (or someone elses) shoes.


Seth has worked so hard for us this year
Both in real estate and remodeling, he's definitely my "man of the year."
He loves spending time with the kids, especially reading to them each night.
Also lovingly serving me even when I was out of sight. (he was Mr. Mom for two weekends this past summer when I went out of state to two weddings)
2007 will hold some challenges for us
But I know my husband trusts our Father and He will work in us what He must.

Me, well I don't know how to sum up my year.
Actually, itching about would, from my toe to my ear.
But that's kinda depressing not bringing much good cheer.
So, lets just say I've been busy being mom serving those I hold dear.
God has granted me grace beyond what I deserve.
He's shown me Himself giving me opportunities to serve.
I pray daily for relief from the physical trials I face
But I know God is sovereign and keep pressing on in this race.
As a wife and mom I need wisdom and the filling of Christ each day
He's faithful, never changing, always showing me the way.
2007 hold its unknowns, and exciting in a sense too.
May you all enjoy this season......and Merry Christmas from us Prescotts to you!

Valley of Vision

I have only ever read portions of this book, but I hear it is excellent. I have recently been listening to a cd that are songs of worship inspired by this classic book of Puritan prayers. Here are a few things from these prayers/songs that have really stood out to me today.

The valley of vision
is the place of paradox.
Here, the one who wants to save his life
loses it for the sake of Another.
Here, strength is perfected in weakness,
and the greatest is the servant of all.
Living in the depths,
we see Him in the heights.
Learning that the way down
is the way up,
To be low
is to be high,
And to bear the cross is
to wear a crown.


Grant me never to lose sight of...
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.


"How Deep" by Stephen Altrogge
You were broken that I might be healed
You were cast off that I might draw near
You were thirsty that I might come drink
Cried out in anguish that I might sing
You knew darkness that I might know light
Wept great tears that mine might be dried
Stripped of glory that I might be clothed
Crushed by Your Father to call me Your own.
How deep is Your love
How high and how wide is Your mercy
How deep is Your grace
Our hearts overflow with praise to You!



I want to RUN to Jesus......


I want to WALK in His footsteps......

Thanksgiving Party Pics

Updating

I don't know how many people actually read this blog, and not my other one. If you do, please comment to let me know if I need to update this. If not, I will just stick to updating one.
Thanks.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is MY dad's 55th birthday.
The influence he has had in my life is not even explainable in words. He has taught me by example and more.......
He continues to be to me, my family, and now his grandchildren, as well as many across the nation and the world, a shining testimony of the love of Christ. A picture of what it means to live a life that brings glory and honor to our Heavenly Father. A man who is dedicated to his Lord, his wife, his family, and sharing THE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ. I could list many things that my dad has taught me over the years, but a few songs (I'll just list one) come to mind when I think of my father, which in turns causes me to think of my Heavenly Father and thank Him.


Come to Jesus

Weak and wounded sinner, lost and left to die
Now raise your head for love is passing by
Come to Jesus, come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus, and live.

Now your burden's lifted and carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain
So sing to Jesus, sing to Jesus,
Sing to Jesus, and live.

And like a newborn baby, don't be afraid to crawl.
Remember when we walk, sometimes we fall.
So fall on Jesus, fall on Jesus,
Fall on Jesus, and live.

Sometimes the way seems lonely, it's steep and filled with pain.
So when the sky is dark and pours the rain,
Then cry to Jesus, cry to Jesus,
Cry to Jesus, and live.

Oh when the love spills over, and music fills the night,
And when you can't contain your joy inside.
Then dance for Jesus, dance for Jesus.
Dance for Jesus, and live.

And with this final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye.
And go in peace, and laugh on glory's side.
Then fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus.
Fly to Jesus, and live.

And these things I have done with my dad. He has led me to Jesus, and continues to do so through His life even though I'm gone away from home.
I've come to Jesus with my dad right there with me.
We've sung to Jesus.
We've fallen on Jesus.
We've cried out to Jesus.
I've seen dad dance for Jesus.
And one day, I'll fly to Jesus and so will my dad.
And together we'll be at His feet and worship Him.....
Thank you Dad!

And just a few of the many things I've learned from my dad that I'll never forget:
Our confession (DRAW NEAR! HOLD FAST!)
Cry out to Jesus
Every relationship is an opportunity to love, and every situation is an opportunity to trust. (in Christ)
There will be times where we will have to just live life tired. (AMEN!)
That he loves my mom as Christ loves the church.



Happy Birthday Dad! I love you!

Worthy of my Worship this Easter

I am forever grateful to my Heavenly Father, especially this weekend as I remember specifically WHY He sent His Son to die for us. Not only to die, but He was raised. HE LIVES! And not only that, He is seated at the right hand of God. Where He runs all things by the Word of His power. The power of our Risen Savior! Thank you Lord!

What can take a dying man and raise him up to life again?
What can heal the wounded soul?
What can make us white as snow?
What can fill the emptiness?
What can mend our brokenness?
What restores our faith in God?
What reveals the Father's love?
What can lead the wayward home?
What can melt a heart of stone?
What can free the guilty ones?
What can save and overcome?

Mighty, awesome wonderful is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life to lift us from the fall.
MIGHTY, is the power of THE CROSS!
It's a miracle to me
It is still a mystery
It's a miracle to me
the POWER of God for those who believe.

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine. I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow. He bore MY sins....wow.

You are my Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You. All of my days, I want to praise the wonders of Your mighty love.

Crucified, laid behind a stone, He lived to die, rejected and alone. Like a rose, trampled on the ground, He took the fall, and thought of ME....above all.

And when I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died. See from His head, His hands, His feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did 'ere such LOVE and SORROW meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown? LOVE so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life my ALL!

My freedom, My reason, My Savior, that's what YOU are to me. You freed me completely my Savior that's what you are to me. There's no other like You, there's no one beside You. You're more than my heart can contain. And I will love you all my life. For you are my REASON, the one that I live for. And I will love you all my life, for you are my reason, You're the ONE that I live for.

At the foot of the Cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgment You received
And You've won my heart
Yes, You've won my heart

Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown.
Coming to kiss the feet of Mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross.

At the foot of the cross
Where I am made complete
You have given me life
Through the death You bore for me
And You've won my heart
Yes, You've won my heart.

Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown.
Coming to kiss the feet of Mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross.

You are worthy of our worship for You've loved us perfectly.
You've removed our sins far from us and made us holy.
So together now we praise You as the Lord our Righteousness.
And we stand in grace before You to give you GLORY!

Cousins at the Lake

Sunday, April 9th, 2006

Marble Falls, Texas

13 months old

Sunset

Our Confession

Jesus Christ is God's Son and He's our High Priest.

After He made purification for sins
He sat down at the right hand of the Father,
where He intercedes for us
and runs all things
by the Word of His power.

He will preserve us
through suffering, trial, and temptation
by giving us grace and mercy,
if we draw near to Him and
hold fast our confession.

DRAW NEAR.....HOLD FAST!

GREEN!

I should know by now that when my children are doing crafts/coloring and laughing in the other room that I shouldn't be fooled into thinking that they are just having fun and being obedient and being sweet to one another. THAT they were doing, but also they let Chandler have a little too much fun.....

Here ya go, mom.


Like what I did?


It sure was fun!



Maybe my one year old really is smart enough though to know to grab the green marker because it's an "army color" (as my 3yo says) and he wanted to be in camo like his brother was!
Haha.....I doubt it.....

Cost of Kids

Cost of Kids
Author Unknown
(my comments in paranthesis)

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!~
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterly kisses and velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies. (among many other amazingly simple things.....)
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate. (or mud!)
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day. (or what housework you got done that day!)
* You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, and catch lightning bugs.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay, and cards with backward letters. (and all the other treasures that fill up your fridge!)
* YOU GET TO BE A HERO just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off a bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, (and more.....you fill it in!)
* YOU GET A FRONT ROW SEAT to history.....when you witness the first step, first word, first date, first time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and maybe even a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.
* YOU GET AN EDUCATION in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, (AND more!) that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. (and we ARE called to be an example of HIM to them) You have all the "power" to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a party, and love them without limits, so...one day they will, like you, LOVE without COUNTING THE COST.

ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS!



Wow, isn't this a powerful reminder? And I'm sure any parent could add even more to this list!
And.....I get to multiply this by 4!!! I won't do the math now, but that's quite a cost, AND worth every penny!
(I just wonder if they added the cost of diapers to this!? surely.....)

I think they are priceless actually.....

Chandler Elijah turns ONE!

Thursday, March 9th, 2006



We are grateful to God for our 4th born, Chandler. He has been a JOY and a blessing beyond what we could have imagined. Life is precious and we are humbled that God would grant us another little life we are responsible for raising and training for HIS glory.


Some things about our "baby"

C limber, Crawls VERY fast, Charming, Content
H appy, Huggable
A bsolutely Adorable
N ever likes to be left inside - if his siblings go outside
D efinitely a keeper, Determined
L ikes to kiss, Likes to say Uh-Oh,
E ager to be where the action is,
R isk taking (already!) & Ready to move















AND HEIDI SUMMER!




H appy & Huggable
E xtremely cute
I nto everything (so I hear!)
D efinitely a keeper
I s her parents pride & joy


I am looking forward to how much these two will change over the next year as their personalities develop even more.

The Wrecking Crew

A Surprise

On Sunday, January 29th when we came home from church, Seth & the kids had a treasure hunt for me and were excited about me finding a surprise!
Here are the little clues they left me...

CLUE #1: You wanted a schedule, you wanted a plan so go to the place where you go to pay the bills. (He gave up on the whole rhyming thing I guess!)
CLUE #2: Now that you are curious and wondering what is up, there is something that I have been keeping from you. Go to the "construction zone."
CLUE #3: In honor of the anniversary of calling your dad, I have a surprise for you. Go to the place you communicate with others. (the computer of course. )
CLUE #4: I have been waiting for quite some time to give this to you, so I hope that you will enjoy what you have in store.....so go to where you sleep.

Then there was a note that said:
My Dearest Love, You deserve a big break from all you do. So open this package and you will find something that will take you away from all the chaos and give us some time to spend with each other. I love you!

And on my pillow I found two tickets for a Carnival Cruise that leaves TOMORROW, February 11th!
Seth had worked out all the details for the kids to stay with grandparents, and we are going away for 6 days with NO kids! And not only that, it's ALL paid for! Last year before Seth left Noll.Bakke, he closed a real estate deal where they gave him a cruise travel voucher. It was right when Chandler was born, so he knew it wouldn't be possible for us to go for a while. He has kept this from me til just the right time, and we are able to use it just before the year expiration! Initially he was going to "kidnap" me and not tell me where we were going until we were on our way, but I have my mom and sister to thank that he gave me a little bit of "heads up."
So I'm busy today packing for us, the kids, getting last minute things together. I am nervous and excited! Nervous about leaving the kids (especially the baby) for that long and yet definitely excited to be getting away, getting a relaxing break, and enjoying sleep, and each other!

And if you think about, pray for Granny Sharon and Papa and Grandma who will be watching them over the next 6 days!
I'll post when we get back!

My Little Helper

Happy Birthday Bryan!

January 16th, 2003.....No, I didn't type that wrong, you are right. That is not today, but it was 3 years ago on this day, that Bryan Anthony Prescott entered the world, and became a part of our family. What a true joy and blessing he has been. And what fun!
Today, on Bryan's 3rd birthday, here are some things we LOVE about him!

His daddy said:
I love how he says words in two parts or syllables.
I love when he gives me a hug and says "I love you, daddy."
I love how he gets excited about life.
I love how tough he is.
I love his smile.

His mommy said:
I love his hugs.
I love when he spontaneously comes to find me and says "I love you, mommy."
I love how he affectionately calls his little brother "Tanwerr Baby."
I love how he asks me "What can I do to help?"
I love his energetic, yet sensitive spirit.
I love how Bryan works hard, plays hard, and then sleeps hard.

Big sister "Tiffy" and big brother "Dack" said:
I love how Bryan likes to play with me.
I love when he is nice to me.
I love how Bryan laughs.

Bryan falls down a lot, but rarely ever gets hurt.
He can talk non-stop at home, but then in the car he rarely talks at all. He is our best car rider.
And he is amazing with directions.
His excitement about life is contagious and he is content with the simple things in life.
Bryan's favorite food is cereal. He asks for it EVERY meal, although it's not given to him at every meal of course.
His two most common asked questions this year are "Please may I have a snack?" and "Can I take my shirt off?"

We know that it is a miracle that Bryan is with us, when 18 months ago he was life-less and not breathing after being pulled out of our hot tub. A day we will never forget, as we almost thought we'd lost him. God spared his life and for a reason. We look forward to what great things God has in store for our son. We pray God saves him at a young age and that He uses His life to advance His Kingdom and for His glory. And we pray for God's wisdom to be granted to us as we do our best to direct, train, discipline and love him while we have him in our care.

Happy Birthday Bryan!
We love you!